CHICAGO – The original goal for the Winnipeg Jets was to simply stay in the fight while Mark Scheifele was sidelined with a suspected shoulder injury.

Few could have predicted the Jets would go 5-0-1 since Scheifele crashed hard into the end boards during the second period of what proved to be a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

The Jets have outscored their opponents 26-13 and connected for nine power-play goals in 25 chances during that run of games.

It’s still early in the process as Scheifele is expected to be on the shelf for six-to-eight weeks from the time of his injury on Dec. 27, though the early returns have been impressive.

Jets captain Blake Wheeler has been a driving force during Scheifele’s absence, making a near seamless transition to playing centre.

Wheeler chipped in two more assists in Tuesday’s 7-4 victory over the Buffalo Sabres and has collected five goals and 11 points during his current seven-game point streak.

“Everyone has stepped up a little bit,” said Wheeler, who is up to 14 goals and 52 points in 44 games this season. “We’ve had some injuries and some guys have been given opportunities to play a different role, a bigger role and they’ve done a good job.”

The Jets are certainly getting contributions throughout the lineup, but there’s little doubt about the guy who has been leading the way.

The Jets used Wednesday as a day off, but they’ll be back on the ice on Thursday.

Mr. 100

When Jets winger Patrik Laine scored for the first time in eight games on Tuesday, it as his 19th goal of the season and the 100th point of his NHL career in just his 117th game.

Was Laine aware he was closing in on the century mark?

“Yes, I knew that. Hopefully, I can score a couple of more,” said Laine, who is up to 19 goals and 36 points in 44 games this season. “It’s a nice milestone to get. I’ll just try to get more.”

Laine, chosen second overall in the 2016 NHL Draft, has been a franchise-changing player.

While known for his quick release and ridiculous shot, Laine has 55 goals and 45 assists so far and is more than just a one-trick pony.

“It’s night and day from the start, in terms of his routes, his battle and his compete,” said Maurice. “What we have right now, with Blake (Wheeler) playing centre there, he’s got the perfect mentor to take himself to the next level.”

For Laine, 11 of his 19 goals and 17 of his 36 points have come with the man-advantage.

The biggest difference in Laine’s game from the start of the season has been in his legs.

After taking some time to adjust to the weight he added during the off-season, Laine has been playing with more pace of late.

Provided that continues, you can expect Laine to continue to produce offensive at an impressive rate.

Managing the goalies

With Jets goalie Steve Mason making 30 saves in Tuesday’s 7-4 win, it will be interesting to see how Maurice handles his masked men this weekend as the Jets play games on consecutive days against the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild.

When asked if Mason could get a second start this week, Maurice was non-committal, leaving the door open that Connor Hellebuyck could play both tilts against Central Division opponents.

The Jets haven’t started the same goalie on consecutive days yet this season, so the final decision will likely be dictated by the workload Hellebuyck faces against the Blackhawks on Friday.

Hellebuyck has plenty of experience playing on consecutive days from his time in college and in the minors, plus it’s not a long flight from Chicago to Minnesota.

However, if Maurice is serious about helping Mason find a bit more of a rhythm after playing in only three games since suffering a concussion on Nov. 25, it makes sense for Mason to face the Wild.

Mason has put in plenty of work to try and stay sharp with Hellebuyck handling the bulk of the load.

What’s been the most challenging part of seeing so little game action?

“I think once you get back out there, how hard it is to fight to find the puck when the puck gets to the point,” said Mason. “It’s one thing in practice where everything’s structured but when you get out there, bodies are so big and fast at the NHL level that at the goaltending position you really have to fight to find it.”

Staying patient

Jets forward Brendan Lemieux did everything that was asked of him during his first taste of the NHL, chipping in a goal and playing a hard-nosed, disciplined style in the seven games he suited up in.

Being returned to the minors wasn’t easy news to digest, but the left-winger kept things in perspective and played well with the Manitoba Moose, which prompted his most recent recall on Monday.

“It’s always easier to move forward. Sometimes when you get sent back down, you can feel like you’re taking a step back,” said Lemieux, who has nine goals and 24 points in 24 AHL games this season. “It’s just about understanding the process, how it’s different for each individual and understanding that sometimes even if you do as well as you can or as well as you think you should have, there are other things in play,” said Lemieux. “For me, it’s about understanding all of that but knowing there is always room for improvement. The American Hockey League is a great place to go and develop and work on parts of your game you might not get to work on if you’re playing in the NHL.”

Road to recovery

After the formal portion of Tuesday’s morning skate had come to a close, Jets winger Brandon Tanev emerged on the ice for some conditioning work.

Tanev, who is working his way back from a lower-body injury he suffered in a game against the New York Islanders on Dec. 29, remains day-to-day after missing the past five games.

The same holds true for Adam Lowry, who is dealing with an upper-body injury and sat out a second game on Tuesday.

Although Maurice left the door open for both players to return at some point this weekend, it’s much more likely they’ll be given the bye week to get back to full health.

“This weekend is a possibility, but we’re not putting he or (Lowry) in if…I’m not saying they have to be 100%, but we’ve got to be real sure we’re not going to set them back,” said Maurice. “We have an opportunity here, for the most part, to get these guys healed for sure. If they get cleared, they’re playing. But we’ll be real conservative with it.”

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.